


Somewhere Only We Know

by SallyWhite92



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fall Prompt Challenge 2k16, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, fall fluff, i'm challenging myself okay, this will be good for me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8130533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SallyWhite92/pseuds/SallyWhite92
Summary: People say that spring is the time to fall in love. Gideon would say that was total bs, because this fall he was totally falling for a bunny. part of the fall prompt challenge on tumblr





	1. pumpkin spice

**Author's Note:**

> so i'm challenging myself by participating in the 15 day fall prompt challenge on tumblr. i decided to do it for this rare pair, since it doesn't get nearly enough love. i think it's gonna be a lot of fun.

“So you’re offering pumpkin spice flavored things now?”  
  
The sudden intrusion darn near scared the tar out of him, making his tail fluff out and his heart skip a beat. He whirled around to face the intruder, greeted with big ol’ purple eyes and that sweet smile he was starting to get used to seeing. Years ago he was sure that smile would have been upside down at the sight of him, but things sure had changed.  
  
“Geez, Mizz Judy, ya gotta give a guy some warnin’ ‘fore you sneak up on him.” He placed a paw on his chest, as if he could calm his heart beat like that.  
  
“Sorry.” She totally wasn’t but that was alright. He was startled, was all, nothin’ for her to really be sorry for. The bunny hummed as she walked towards him and Gideon had to force himself not to stare.  
  
_Easy, Gid. Ya don’t wanna scare her off. She’s just now gettin’ used to you._  
  
“But to answer yer question, yes, I am. Seems to be the thing during this season and it sells, so I figured why not.” He shrugged, unable to keep the smile off of his lips. “Plus, it smells pretty nice.”  
  
Judy smiled up at him as she approached him, holding out her arms to him. He gulped silently but complied, wrapping an arm around her to give her a warm hug which she returned right away. He had to keep himself from leaning down to press his nose into her fur, because that would be going too far and he didn’t want to ruin this friendship he had been working so hard to build up with her.  
  
The bunny stepped away first and he unwrapped his arm from around her, shifting the basket of baked goods he had in his other arm. The action drew her attention, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. “Is that pumpkin spice?”  
  
“Mm hm,” he nodded, grinning as he held out the basket to her. “Some fresh baked pumpkin spice cookies, made ‘em not too long ago. Go on, take one.”  
  
“Don’t mind if I do!” She took a cookie and bit into it, a pleased groan rumbling from her chest. “Oh m’ go’! So goo’!” She chewed happily, humming happily as she gazed up at him. She swallowed the bite before speaking. “You have got to teach me your secret one day, Gid. These are phenomenal!”  
  
He could feel the insides of his ears getting hot as he chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his free paw. “Aw shucks, it ain’t nothin’ really. Jus’ followed a recipe I found, was all.”  
  
“You must have added something, though,” she persisted, taking another eager bite of the cookie and swallowing again so she could continue to speak. “These are unlike any other thing I’ve ever had. It’s no wonder your shop is doing so well.” She looked around. “I’m actually surprised it’s empty right now.”  
  
“It’s only eight, Mizz Judy, most mammals are just gettin’ to work or gettin’ up.” Gideon walked over to the counter and set the basket on it.  
  
The bunny followed him, finishing her cookie and looking around for something to wipe her paws on. He snatched a napkin from the counter and handed to her, and she took it with a thank you. She smiled up at him as she wiped her paws. “Well, I’m glad I could catch you before it got too busy. I was going to ask you if you’d like to go for coffee after my shift ends.”  
  
He blinked at her. Once. Twice. _Wait, what?_ “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” He wasn’t sure he’d heard her right over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.  
  
Judy placed her paws on her hips and grinned up at him. “I asked if you wanted to join me for coffee after my shift ends. You close at seven, right? I could meet you here. If you’d like.” Her smile was starting to fade and he needed to say something, now, Gideon!  
  
“Ah, y-yeah, that sounds good.” _Geez, could ya stumble over yer words any more there?_ He gulped and gave her the biggest grin he could manage. “I heard there’s a new place just around the corner, supposed to have real good pumpkin spice lattes. If yer into that sort of thing.”  
  
“After having your cookies, I don’t think any other pumpkin spice will compare.” She bounced on her feet, her grin back in full swing. “So you’ll join me?”  
  
Aw, what the heck? Why not? He nodded, doing his best to keep her from seeing just how excited he was about this. “Yeah, I will!”  
  
“Awesome!” She grinned and headed for the door. “So I’ll see you at seven?”  
  
“Seven,” he nodded, not sure if he would be able to say anything else without making a stupid sound.  
  
She stopped at the door and seemed to hesitate before she ran back over to him. She hopped up to grab the collar of his shirt and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his cheek for just a moment before she was bounding for the door again. “See you tonight!” Then she out the door, hurrying towards Nick who was waiting for her by a police cruiser.  
  
Gideon watched them drive off before slowly raising a paw to touch where she had kissed. He was sure he had the biggest, dumbest grin on his face, but heck if he cared. He had a date with Judy Hopps that night!  
  
Then a thought struck him and he frowned. What the heck was he supposed to wear??


	2. falling leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't my best but i liked how it turned out so i'm going ahead and posting it. i'm gonna try to keep these all inter-connected, in chronological order. turn it into like a little drabble series. i think it'll be fun. also shout-out to alandcapon on tumblr for drawing fanart for the first chapter. seriously go check it out, it made my day.

Gideon found it amazing how, when you were really looking forward to something, time seemed to drag on forever and make the day agonizing slow.  
  
And by amazing he meant annoying. Very annoying.  
  
But he didn’t let it keep him down. There was an extra bounce in his step, a twinkle in his eye as he served his customers, greeting them with a smile and wishing them farewell with a wave. He only had a few employees, college kids who needed some extra spending cash. They were good kids, though, and he was happy to help them out.  
  
And all day everyone kept pointing out how he seemed happier than usual. He brushed them off though he couldn’t deny the butterflies in his stomach or the heat in his ears that just would not go away no matter how hard he tried. And how could he help it? He was just so excited!  
  
Six o’ clock came rolling around and business died down. His last employee, a coyote named Steven, stayed until six thirty to help him clean before leaving. Figuring no one was going to come, Gideon decided to close down early, flipping the sign on the front door from “open” to “close.” He had to reassure himself that closing down early for one night wasn’t going to hurt his reputation. “Y’ve only been open for a couple o’ weeks, Gid, ain’t no harm.” He nodded then hurried up the stairs to his apartment, which happened to be on the floor just above his shop.  
  
He really wasn’t sure what to wear, he realized as he opened his closet and stared at the contents. This wasn’t necessarily a—a date, or anything like that. Just two friends getting some coffee after a long day. And one of those friends had kissed the other on the cheek just that morning.  
  
_Cheek kisses are nothin’, stop getting’ yer tail in a twist._  
  
Though no matter how many times he told himself that, his heart would not stop pounding in his chest…  
  
He finally settled on a sweater and jeans, figuring since the nights had been getting colder it would keep the chill out of his bones. He combed down his fur and checked the time on his phone. Six fifty-five. He pocketed the device and stared at himself in the little mirror hanging on his closet door.  
  
“Calm down, Gid, it’s jus’ coffee,” he muttered under his breath. “She jus’ wants to get coffee with a friend, that’s all. Who she kissed this morning.” He groaned and pressed a paw to his forehead. “Get off o’ that, will ya? She prob’ly kisses all o’ her friends, she’s jus’ friendly like that.”  
  
Somehow that didn’t make him feel any better.   
  
He shook it off and hurried back downstairs to the shop, stepping outside and locking the door behind him. He didn’t have any more time to worry about it, Judy would be there soon and he didn’t want to make anything awkward between them. Just being her friend was lovely and he didn’t want to lose that.  
  
“Gideon!”   
  
He turned his head to see said bunny jogging down the sidewalk towards him, waving enthusiastically with a huge smile on her face. She was still in her uniform so he figured she must have just gotten done with her shift. He wondered if he should ask if she wanted him to wait so she could change clothes but he quickly shook that thought away. If she wanted to change she would tell him.  
  
Judy greeted him with a hug once more which he returned. She stepped away after a moment, grinning up at him and bouncing on her feet. “Are you ready? I didn’t keep you waiting long, did I?”  
  
“Naw, I just stepped out here.” He smiled as he shoved his paws into the pockets of his jeans. “How was work?”  
  
“It was fine, nothing too exciting happened really,” she told him, looping her arm through his as they walked down the street towards the coffee shop. “Nick got into the most ridiculous argument with one guy over a speeding ticket, though. It was so funny, I wish you could have been there.” She continued to talk about how her day had gone and he was content to just listen to her, nodding and adding in some commentary when it felt appropriate.  
  
They got to the shop and ordered their drinks, both of them opting for decaf options since they still had to go to work in the morning and didn’t want to be up all night. Judy insisted that they go to the park to enjoy their drinks instead of staying inside, and he was more than happy to oblige her. The sun was setting as they found a bench to sit on, the colors of the sky making his blue eyes go wide as he just stared in awe. It was nice to catch things like this when you could in a busy city like Zootopia.  
  
He heard Judy sigh beside him and looked over to see her sipping her drink, a contented look on her face. He tilted his head at her. “You okay, Mizz Judy?”  
  
“I’m fine.” She glanced over at him with a smile. “You know, you can just call me Judy, Gid. There’s no reason for the formalities.”  
  
“Ah…right.” He rubbed his arm before taking a drink of his beverage. “It’s jus’ habit, I guess.”  
  
“Well, you better break yourself of it,” she scolded playfully before leaning her head on his bicep. It took every ounce of control in him to not tense up at the sudden action. “We’re friends, and friends don’t call other miss.”  
  
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.” He tried not to stare at her, but she just looked so darn cute right now. Not that he would ever say that to her face. He didn’t have a death wish, after all.  
  
All was quiet for a bit before she broke the silence. “Do you miss Bunnyburrow?”  
  
He hesitated before nodding, slowly. “I miss the quiet. It’s always so noisy here in the city.”  
  
“You’ll get used to it.”  
  
“What about you? Do you miss it, Mizz—Judy?”  
  
She nodded, not moving her head from its place against his arm. “I miss my family, and how you could see all the stars at night. Here all the lights make it hard to find them.”  
  
“And all the fog.”  
  
“It’s actually smog.”  
  
“Oh…”  
  
It was quiet again, and he was the one to break it again. “The annual fall festival in Bunnyburrow is in a couple o’ weeks. I’m plannin’ on closin’ up the shop that weekend so I can go participate. I was asked to bake some pies for the pie eatin’ contest.”  
  
She snorted with laughter, leaning into him more as she shoulders shook with mirth. “You’ll have to bake all day for that!”  
  
“That’s the plan.” Gosh, but she sure had a nice laugh. Was that weird to think?  
  
She finally lifted her head so she could look at him, her violet eyes shining. “I’m planning on taking that weekend off, too. Mom and dad want to help set up their booth. Maybe I could help you carry all of those pies.”  
  
“I-if you wanna.” If his heart hadn’t been pounding before it certainly was now.  
  
“I do.” She smiled again before leaning her head against him once more. She shivered softly and finished her coffee, wrapping her arms around herself. “Maybe I should have changed before I met you.”  
  
“Y’ wanna head back soon?” The thought of this ending so soon made him sad, but he didn’t want her to freeze.  
  
The bunny shook her head, curling into his side a bit. “I’ll be fine.”  
  
Gideon hesitated before draping his arm around her shoulders, watching her face to make sure he wasn’t going too far. When she didn’t protest he allowed himself to relax, leaning back against the bench to finish his drink and take in the quiet.  
  
They watched the leaves fall and all he could think about was how lucky he was to be there with her, enjoying her company and helping to keep her warm. This was nice. This was very nice.  
  
“We should do this more often,” she said softly.  
  
He couldn’t agree more.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next prompt up next is hot cocoa so you can bet things are just gonna get cuter. comment and/or leave kudos if you liked this chapter and i will see you all in the next update!


	3. hot chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so late with this omg but hey winter doesn't start until December so *waves flag pathetically* I finally got the motivation to write more for this drabble series, and i'm determined to finish these prompts. i'm pleased with this, I like how it turned out and I think it's pretty cute.

Two days after their date in the park and Gideon Grey hadn’t heard from Judy. He did his best to not worry too much about her, after all she can definitely handle herself, but something in him just wouldn’t rest. Even if she was tough as nails, she’s a bunny in a big city filled with huge criminals. And heaven knows he tried, but he can’t help but worry about her.  
  
He did his best to keep himself busy so that he wouldn’t dwell on it too much. There was always plenty of things to do in the shop, what with it bein’ so new and all. He had to make sure there were enough baked goods for the crowds that came in, had to make sure that everything was clean, had to make sure his employees weren’t slacking off or being too informal with the customers. There were plenty of things to do.  
  
But those couple of nights, when the show was closed and everyone was gone and he was left all by himself, all alone in his room, he would lay on his bed and his mind drifted back to her. Wondering what she was doing, why she hadn’t responded to his texts, if she was alright… Surely, if something had happened, someone would have told him. Her partner, her partents…someone.  
  
Right?  
  
The third night he had given up, thinking he must have done something to upset her, maybe he HAD been too forward, maybe he HAD said something stupid, when suddenly there she was, standing in the doorway of his shop, soaking wet and shivering so hard he swore she was going to vibrate right out of her skin. He took a moment to stare in shock at her before quickly acting.  
  
“Mizz—Judy! Yer wet! Ya gotta be freezin’!” He hurried over to her, pulling her inside and ushering her into the kitchen where he had not yet turned off the heater. Thank goodness, too. He had her sit down in front of it before rushing upstairs to grab a towel and a pair of sweats for her. They would be too big, but it was better than her staying in her wet clothes and catching a cold. His mind was whirling, she was here she was here, where had she been, why hadn’t she answered him, why was she soaking wet?? But he pushed all of that away and went back to her.   
  
“Here,” he handed her the towel, which she took with shaking paws. It made his heart sink, she had to be so cold. “A-and I brought ya these. They’ll be a lil big on ya…” He set the sweats on the stool beside her before turning around, to give her some privacy.  
  
He heard her sneeze and some rustling of cloth. “Thanks, Gid…” She must have been changing. Oh god, he DID NOT need to be thinking about that. To distract himself he went over to the stove, grabbing a small pot and some milk to heat up. He reached up into the cupboards to grab some hot chocolate mix, too. That would help to warm her bones.  
  
It only took a few minutes to heat the milk up just right and pour in the mixture to make the drink, and he grabbed two mugs to pour it into before turning off the stove. Then he cleared his throat. “Is it, uh…i-is it alright if I turn around now?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m decent.”  
  
He grabbed the mugs and turned around, and he was suddenly very thankful that he had a good grip on the cups.  
  
Judy Hopps had always been adorable ever since they were kids (of course he would never say so out loud), but seeing her practically dwarfed in his sweat shirt was a sight to behold. Of course it was huge on her, the collar slipping off one of her shoulders and the shirt going down to her knees. She hadn’t put on the pants and while part of him knew he should insist she do so, a much more primal side was glad to see her legs without coverings…  
  
God, he really needed to get a hold of himself.  
  
The bunny glanced up at him and reached up a soft paw to push her ears back, the sleeve slipping down to her elbow from how big it was. “I probably look really silly, huh?”  
  
He quickly shook his head, going over to her and handing her a mug. “No, not at all. Uh, here, lemme—” He scooped up her clothes and the towel. “I’ll go throw these in the dryer.” He hurried out of the room, glad for a chance to clear his head.  
  
He threw the things in his dryer and set the time, then went back upstairs to grab some blankets and pillows. He breathed in deep before making his way back downstairs. _Focus, Gid. Ya can’t keep starin’, you’ll make ‘er uncomfortable._  
  
He stepped into the kitchen and couldn’t help but note how she had settled herself in front of the heater, sipping the cocoa and just looking so content. It made him feel warm on the inside. He walked over, setting the pillows down and wrapping a blanket around her, which made her smile up at him.   
  
“Thanks.”  
  
“It’s nothin’.” He took a seat beside her, making sure to leave some room, and started sipping at his own mug.  
  
There was silence between them for a few moments before she spoke. “I got your texts. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer, I was undercover with Nick in Tundra Town. I didn’t get the chance to tell you.” She looked over at him, her expression apologetic.  
  
“It’s alright,” he assured her, feeling relief that it hadn’t been anything he had done. Everything was okay between them. “Did ya get the guy?”  
  
“Oh, we got him, alright. He jumped into the water and nearly drowned himself, I had to go in after him.” She sniffed and rubbed her nose with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He didn’t comment on that. “Nick wanted to take me home, but I had him drop me off here. Sorry you have to deal with me.”  
  
Gideon quickly shook his head, scooting just a bit closer to her. “I don’t mind, honest. I’m just glad yer okay. I…I was worried.” Crap, was it okay to tell her that?  
  
Judy looked up at him, violet eyes searching his own blue. “You were worried about me?”  
  
He nodded, not sure what else to say.  
  
The bunny smiled warmly and scooted over so that her leg was touching his, a fact he tried very hard to not think about. She leaned her head against his shoulder, a soft sigh escaping her mouth. “Sorry I worried you. But everything is fine, don’t worry. We got the guy and I can actually talk to people again.” A shiver went through her frame and she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.  
  
On instinct Gideon wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her side as he pulled her into his side. “Ya gonna be okay? Water’s in Tundra Town are freezin’, don’t want ya catchin’ a cold.”  
  
“I’ll be okay. The cocoa helped.” She glanced up at him, her eyes soft. “And it’s warm here.” She closed her eyes and leaned into him, setting her mug down as she slowly wrapped her arms around him. “So warm…”  
  
She sounded drowsy and he knew that he should probably insist that she go home, but she looked so content and it would break his heart to move her. He was tempted to pull her into his lap but that would be too forward, so instead he just tucked her into his side and leaned his head against hers once more. This was starting to feel very familiar and it was something he could definitely start to get used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next prompt is mittens, we'll see how that turns out. comment and/or leave kudos and i will see you all next time.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr at mama-sally.tumblr.com if you'd like to discuss this ship with me or if you'd like to hear progress about my other fics. see ya there! leave a comment and/or kudos if you'd like. the next prompt will be out...some time.


End file.
